Dreaming Through the Noise
by ResurgereTento
Summary: Deep under the village of Sound, Sasuke stumbles across what could have been. Eventual NaruSasu.


GOD I NEED A BETA.

Urgh. Not happy with this, frankly. Too much _describing_, barely any dialogue…

Also, the OC is teetering on the edge of Mary-Sue territory. I wouldn't exactly want to be her, but she _is_ in the save-the-screw up position. And she has freaky eyes. It's enough to bother me.

Ah well, we'll see what happens.

* * *

'Going for a walk' in Orochimaru's base was about as much fun, Sasuke reflected, as that time Kabuto invited him to watch an entire day's worth of his creepy experiments. There had been googly things, all too many snakes and a pot of mush that he was fairly certain had been, at one point, human. Not that Sasuke had been surprised or even disgusted – he just couldn't imagine how it was anyone's idea of a good time.

Strolling through the continual, monotonous hallways deep under Sound Village induced a similar feeling of contemptuous apathy. Sasuke suspected they did it on purpose. The walls were all of the exact same colour and pattern, to the extent that one wouldn't notice if one had been wandering in circles for hours. There was a dripping sound in the distance, keeping time like the tick of a clock. Then again, in Sound there was always a dripping sound in the distance. Sasuke hadn't yet managed, despite two and a half years of half-hearted attempts, to find a source. As such, he'd been forced to assume a theory of hidden speakers and a severely worrying attempt at ambience.

It was all these factors, Sasuke decided, that had lead to him misplacing himself. He definitely wasn't distracted and he certainly wasn't lost, after all. It was simply the all too ridiculous design of the place.

Turning a corner, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar corridor. Such a thing had happened before – the base was honestly enormous – but this place was particularly unusual. The light was dimmer here, casting longer shadows and smudging details. The walls were no longer a sandy colour but rather seemed to be made of gray stone, while the floor was simple packed dirt. Even so, it was the barred doorways set along the walls that drew the eye. He couldn't help but wonder why there were cells here, rather than alongside those in the main prison wing.

Curiosity peaked – something expressed outwardly only in the slight twitch of one eyebrow – Sasuke started down the corridor. Watching the cells pass by out of the corner of his eyes he quickly realised that very nearly all of them were occupied, including those completely in shadow. Eyes – many of them unusual, even by his standards – followed him, while the sound of slow movements scraping on dirt broke the silence. Many of the cells had chakra seals pasted across the hinges of their doors, some did not. Passing a teenage boy with disturbingly green eyes, Sasuke very nearly started at the sudden sound of someone speaking.

"Brat."

The voice was elderly and rasped from disuse. Slowly Sasuke turned towards the speaker, mouth already forming a retort before he was shocked to silence.

The woman in front of him raised her eyebrows. Her skin was smooth while her figure, pressed up against the bars, was still toned. She was much, much younger than he had judged. Sasuke found himself shifting his stance slightly, as if in preparation to defend. In response the woman smirked, twisted an arm around a bar and locked her eyes on his. Sasuke barely had time to notice the three silver lines running outwards from the pupil before they began to _glow._

His eyes widened as he heard a rushing sound similar to wind across the ears, and then _felt_ the impact on his mind. He took a stumbling step backwards – something that quickly became irrelevant when his surroundings dropped away and darkness overtook him.

Blinking, he took a moment to realise that he was not, in fact, unconscious. Activating his Sharingan he immediately dismissed the idea of a genjutsu, leaving him at a loss.

_What _is _she? And why isn't she sealed?_

The next moment there was light, bright and sunny in a way he had forgotten it was possible for light to be. Sasuke was still, eyes carefully considering his surroundings – the white walls, the white tiles, the white-sheeted beds. _A hospital. _Turning, he felt his stomach drop out at the completely unexpected sight before him. It was Sakura.

Her attention was focused on the occupant of one of the beds, but she didn't need to be looking at him for Sasuke to realise that this wasn't the Sakura he had left on a stone bench in the middle of the night. She was taller, older, moving with more deliberation than he had ever seen her use before. As he watched, unable to react, she placed her hands near the patient's chest. Her lip caught between her teeth and her brow furrowed, she moved her hands in graceful and well-practiced gestures. A bubble of chakra formed around them and she _pulled_. There was a pause before a black, viscous fluid began to drain from the man's chest –

A sudden jolt and the scenery changed, leaving Sasuke with a faint feeling of vertigo and face-to-face with Kakashi. Eyes wide he stumbled backwards, a feeling very similar to fear coursing through his system. Gritting his teeth, he brought himself to a stop, lifted his chin and glared at his former sensei.

Who seemed to be looking right through him. Panting and flushed, eye exposed, Kakashi didn't react to his presence in the slightest. Brow creased slightly in confusion, Sasuke began to lift a hand to wave in front of the silver man's eyes but paused when his Sharingan eye _changed –_

The jolt came faster this time and Sasuke saw Shikamaru, hands twisted in an unfamiliar seal. A moment later there was Kiba, riding a bounding – _dear God, is that Akamaru? – _then Ino, older but still leaning on the counter of her family's flower shop in a familiar pose. They came faster and faster, familiar faces in scenes he never saw, flashing before him like memories he never had. They whirled around him – _Chouji looks so much like his father – _too bright and too quick – _a Sand-nin in Konoha? – _and all too overwhelming. Then, abruptly, they stopped.

Gasping for breath, he found himself back in the dim corridor with the woman watching him through half-lidded eyes. He was thankful to note that they were no longer glowing.

He took a moment to school his expression, deactivate his Sharingan and just _breathe,_ before pinning the woman with a cool glare. "What," he said slowly, "did you do?"

The woman responded with a soft, chilling laugh. "Why, didn't you like seeing your old friends again?" The voice was the same, gravelly and aged in a way that set his nerves on edge.

"I have no need of friends," he responded, immediate and unconcerned.

She snorted. "I beg to differ, ungrateful brat." Sasuke opened his mouth to rebuff the point, but was cut off when the woman went on.

"A table set for two," she sing-songed, in a voice so different from the first that Sasuke found his mouth falling open in shock. He'd been dumbfounded more times in the past few minutes than in the last year and it was definitely making him uncomfortable. "A kunai by the chopsticks."

And now she was _smiling _at him. Cheerfully, too. Sasuke, completely lost, made a desperate bid to gain the upper hand. He smirked. "If this is your pathetic attempt to twist my mind by showing me my old _friends,"_ sarcasm dripped off the word. "You have failed. You missed one, after all."

The woman wagged a finger at him. "No, no, but sunshine never lingers and an elephant never forgets!"

Sasuke blinked, unsure how to respond. The voice now matched the form, but the tone was far too young – childish, almost. All in all, Sasuke felt he was losing his grip on his sanity.

"No need for that," the woman said suddenly. She was rasping again, causing Sasuke to very nearly stomp his foot in frustration. She unfurled a finger and pointed in the direction of the next cell. "Go and see, brat."

Sasuke entertained the possibility of ignoring her and striding in the opposite direction, but he somehow felt that the woman had issued a challenge. Besides, he was intrigued despite himself. This woman was obviously insane, but she raised a number of questions – how had she shown him what she just did? How did she know what to show him in the first place? And why the fuck _wasn't _her chakra sealed?

He lifted his chin and strode to the next cell without a word. Reaching it, he turned to look in. In the next moment his body had reacted against his will, reeling back with wide eyes as something in his chest gripped and _pulled_, stealing his breath.

It was Naruto. It was Naruto beaten bruised and bloody, strung up in the middle of the cell. Chains pulled his wrists in opposite directions, straining the muscles in his bare shoulders to breaking point. His trademark jacket was nowhere to be seen, while the remainders of his black shirt hung in tatters around his waist. Blood - both dried and new – partly obscured a number of chakra burns from view, while the hanging head didn't quite disguise the fact that he was _bleeding_ from his _eyes._

A thousand emotions ran through him and – in all probability – across his face as he stumbled forwards, catching hold of the bars.

- _my body moved on its own – _

No. _No._

He felt anger surge up, pushing aside countless emotions he didn't want to name – _denial, grief, regret, horror – _and activating his cursed bloodline limit –

And he saw.

He saw the telltale shimmer and transparency of a low level genjutsu as seen through Sharingan eyes. He saw the chakra laced through the image, crafting and shaping the illusion. He saw, eventually, the tiny details that he should have noticed in the beginning – the clean and bloodless floor, the lack of chakra seals and the fact that this Naruto, _this_ Naruto, was exactly the same as the one he left behind.

A shudder ran through him and he flushed. He'd been _humiliated_. Angry at his reaction, at his weakness, at _himself_, he clenched his jaw and drew himself up. Turning away from the cell and without sparing the woman a glance he fled – with as much dignity as he could muster – down the corridor.

The same haunting laughter followed him as he left. "That, brat, was twisting your mind."

* * *

This fic was born, in its entirety, from a single mental image. Can you guess which one? (I think it's fairly obvious….) :D

Also, SO MUCH kudos if you recognise the title. Seriously, if you do tell me so I can fangirl you.


End file.
